DeSantis agency's order to election supervisors could damage Florida marijuana referendum effort
A state agency under control of Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued 11th-hour instructions to local officials that could hamper efforts to get a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana on the 2026 Florida ballot.
Last week, the Secretary of State’s Office — which is run by a DeSantis appointee — issued a directive to the state’s 67 county supervisors of elections that complicates the process for verification of voter signatures needed to qualify a referendum. It gives instructions that several supervisors of elections said aren’t backed up by state statute or case law established by previous court decisions.
The directive included a final sentence that grabbed the attention of its recipients: “Please note that the Attorney General’s Office is copied on this email.”
The instructions to the supervisors, who are elected by voters in each county to run elections, came from Maria Matthews, director of the state Division of Elections, which is a unit of the Secretary of State’s Office. The email containing the instructions was obtained through public records requests to two supervisors’ offices.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/01/18/desantis-agencys-order-to-election-supervisors-could-damage-florida-marijuana-referendum-effort/